So Tonight That I Might See
by vintagedreams078
Summary: This story takes place after season 2. Damon and Elena are on the road in search of Stefan. As the road trip progresses they discover something that will change their lives. They also grow closer because of it.
1. Chapter 1

Ch1: I'll go to my grave loving you

**Author's note: This my first fanfic! and i have yt links below with music that are numbered when you should play them as your reading. I want it to be like ur watching a show in your mind with background music and everything. If the links don't work I will post the names of the songs on my profile. Please listen to the music with it.. I think it adds so much more to the story. Enjoy and Review please!**

1) .com/watch?v=lWZOwvj_7mg

2) .com/watch?v=QYkjPWwTHzo–skip to 0:23

3) .com/watch?v=I3h3GN4adzE –skip to 0:29

(1)Damon's car sped through the bare country roads. The air was hot and thick and the surroundings were nothing but miles and miles of fields. I had my legs perched up on the dashboard to try and prevent the pools of sweat that were a cause the heat and Damon's leather seats. We had been on the road for quite sometime now. A few days earlier I discovered that Stefan had turned himself into Klaus and now Damon and I were on a mad search for him in the middle of nowhere.

Bonnie had done a locater spell on him and it found that he was in a small town in Mississippi but probably wouldn't be there for long so we had to move fast. Damon had just recovered from his wolf bite but that wasn't going to stop him from dropping everything and set off to find his brother. I wasn't just going to sit around and wait so I demanded I go with him. And now here we were on the open road with one destination and one hope that Klaus hasn't done anything to harm Stefan. My aunt Jenna came to mind... I don't know what I would do if Stefan came down to the same fate as her. I was interrupted from my thoughts as the car came to a screeching halt. "Damon, why have we stopped?" I exclaimed. "We're running low on snacks... and gas. You don't want to be stranded in the middle of... God knows where we are...do u? …Yea that's what I thought." I closed the car door as Damon was filling up the tank and I stretched.

I was actually glad to get out of the hot car. The air conditioner was on the outs so we were stuck with the only slight breeze that came from the outside air. As I walked to go in side the gas station I heard Damon yell "Grab me some Swedish fish hun!" I rolled my eyes and couldn't help but grin but my grin slowly faded as I overheard the clerk talking..." Yea... What a terrible accident... Darla's younger one was out with a few friends in the woods and an animal came out of nowhere... Poor thing was mauled pretty badly and her body was completely drained of blood. What kind of animal would do that?" The man sighed then said "A hungry one." The words brought chills down my spine even though I was in 100 degree weather. I dropped the water bottles and snack box in my arms and the man stopped talking to the clerk and helped me.

"Uh um Thanks" I said trying to pull it together. The women saw the worried look on my face. As I was gathering my thoughts I heard the bell attached to the door ring as Damon came threw the door. The clerk couldn't help but stare at his chiseled arms glistening with sweat. She became all giddy as she asked what she can do for him even though she was a middle aged woman and completely out of his league. He grabbed more food and put it on the counter next to me. "Is that all you want? Aww... You don't need to watch your weight for me babe." I ignored him and said "I'm sorry I couldn't help but over hear you about the animal attack. Do you know where it happened?" Damon stopped his flirty act and tuned into the conversation.

'It was about 15 miles up the road from here by the old cemetery." Damon and I gazed at each other knowing that we were heading in the right direction. "So where is a nice couple like you headed off to?" I was about to correct her when Damon stepped in. "We are off to get hitched! Her family doesn't approve of me but we couldn't be apart." I slammed my foot on his and he tried to hide his yelp. I gave a devious smile and replied " Yea I just couldn't bare to be away from him" I hugged him and grabbed his cheeks and squished them as he patted my head going along with it. "That's so beautiful" the woman practically had a tear in her eye. "Best of luck to y'all" We both walked out and said "Thanksss!" Our fake grins escaped our faces as we got in the car and he started the engine.

(2) "Damon we need to stop messing around and remember why we're here." She said with a serious look. "Elena, relax. Do you think I forgot? What were you gonna tell her that we were just on a journey together because we have the same common goal of finding my vamp brother who is being held hostage by a blood thirsty vampire named Klaus and stop him from ripping apart this whole town apart!"He looked away from her and continued to drive."Yea, I guess your right. Know eat your candy and shut up" I said with my arms crossed and slapped the box of candy on his chest. Damon drove and shoved a ton of Swedish fish in his mouth and we both couldn't help but laugh. We drove for about a half an hour when we spotted the cemetery.

(3) The car was parked on the side of the road and we set off not knowing even where to look. "Elena, wait." He grabbed my arm and had a concerning look on his face. "I just want you to know if we find them both I want you to get Stefan and get out of here as fast as you can and leave me to Klaus…okay." A strong wave of emotion came over me and I stepped a little closer to him.

"Damon... I'm not leaving Stefan or you with Klaus. We are all leaving here together and that's the end of it." Elena walked ahead of him and Damon stood there for a moment staring at the grass and processing what she said. "Hey, you coming Salvatore!" Elena looked back at him with her hand shielding her face from the sun with a smile on her face. He met up with her and they began their search to see if there was any trace of Klaus or Stefan there.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch 2: Monster

Authors note: Here's the next chapter! This is where things start to get more interesting. Below are the song links again and if they don't work the names of the songs are in my profile:)

1) .com/watch?v=zNajUYiqrwI

2) .com/watch?v=WB4dAdPu_lg

3) .com/watch?v=2oh7Fl8KmwQ

4) .com/watch?v=774mOmdKtZM

(1)We searched for hours but there were no sign of either one of them and if there was the police had already cleaned anything there was left. We got back in the car and just sat in silence. "What do we do now?" Elena said tiredly. "I guess we just wait for them to come to us instead of us coming to them" Damon said with a slightly confused look on his face. "Great plan genius and how long is that going to take?"

"Ohh haha… Elena are you sure my humor isn't rubbing off on you?" He continued to fake laugh and Elena shoved him into the side of the car door. "Hey watch it I'm driving." He said seriously then a big smile erupted from his face. They both giggled. We headed into town if you could even call it that. It was more like a street with a general store a few shops and a bar. This small town in Mississippi was so small the population was probably 200 since the whole place was nothing but fields.

"I'm hungry, you hungry?" Damon asked. "Yea I guess I'm hungry but what kind of hungry are you?" Elena asked kind of concerned. "No worries, Elena. I got full stock of blood bags in the trunk" Damon winked. We both got out of the car and entered this quaint little diner. (2) We sat in a booth and began to look at the menus.

The waitress came and asked what we wanted. "I'll just have a water and that's it" I suddenly had no appetite. "She will also have a burger with no pickles and I will have a coke and a burger with everything" He handed her the menus. I gave him a surprised look halfly because he remembered that I didn't like pickles and the other half because he ordered a non-alcoholic beverage.

"Damon...I" " You need to eat Elena it would do neither of us any good if you pass out then I'm going to have to give you cpr" "Speaking of mouth to mouth.. Are you ever going to explain the other night when… I don't know you kissed me!" I became tense not knowing what I should say. "I don't know what your talking about" I sounded oblivious and I took the easy way out of the situation. "OOO denial that's how were gonna deal. That's okay I haven't forgot it and I know you haven't either. Do whatever makes you sleep better at night."

I rolled my eyes to his response but deep down he was right. I haven't forgotten about that night and wasn't sure what that meant but right know I couldn't think about Damon or me I had to think about Stefan.

It was dusk now and the sun was beginning to set. The food was surprisingly good and I ate every last bite of it. "Well look who was hungry." Damon said with a mouth full of fries in his mouth. We finished the food and the waitress came by to collect it. "Can I get anything else for y'all?" "Yes, we'll take one chocolate milkshake and two straws." I rested my head on my hand and glared at him.

"What …we got to finish the meal with something sweet." Damon gave a smile that made me melt inside. "No, I agree" I said and smiled back. We both shared the milkshake when it came. Damon was actually really good company in a crisis. He also knew what to do or what to say to get your mind off of all your problems. We just sat there in silence scarfing down the shake then once we were done we got up from the booths.

(3) Damon got in the short line to pay the bill and I decided to go to the bathroom. I walked through the small dining area and turned the corner and the something caught my eye. A man with a short haircut and the figure that looked a lot like Stefan was walking out of the back exit."Stefan?" I called out; my heart was beating out of my chest. The man didn't turn back and I chased after him "Stefan come back!"

Damon had finished paying the bill and realized Elena was taking longer than expected. He went back to where the bathrooms were and noticed the back door was cracked open. "Elena?" He called out. "Stefan!" Elena started to become uneasy because she lost which way he went and chose a path down the alley way. Damon heard her calling out for Stefan and he followed it.

"Elena!"He continued to yell. Elena walked further down an alley way and there he was. She saw him in the short distance stop and keep his back to her. They were in a dark, eerie alley way and Elena felt cautious not only because of the setting they were in but the way Stefan was acting. "Stefan, it's me Elena." She said in a sweet voice inched towards him and touched her hand on his shoulder wanting him to turn around. He slowly turned and had a confused and somber look on his face. Not only that but his presence was just different and Elena could feel it but she didn't care she was so relieved to find him.

She gave him a hug "I'm so glad I found you... Are you okay?"She didn't let go and waited for a response."Ele..." Damon stopped him self when he found the two of them. The feeling of relief came over him but then it was replaced with suspicion as he noticed the look on his brother's face as Elena was embracing him. It was the look of lust but not the kind Stefan was used to feeling it was the kind Damon felt for a very long time. It was blood lust.

Stefan looked the way he looked when he first was turned into a vampire and all he cared about was sucking people dry. Stefan had his eyes closed and was smelling Elena's scent it was undeniable. He began to open his mouth and his fangs were showing and he striked her neck. "Stefan…NO!" Damon couldn't believe what just happened and sped to stop it. He slammed Stefan to the wall and Elena fell to the ground.

Massive amounts of pain overcame her not only were they because of her wound but because of the shock of what Stefan had just done. Stefan fled the scene and Damon would have chased after him but he was concerned with Elena's well being. He knelt to the ground beside her and consoled her as tears fell from her face. He wiped away her tears and told her to keep her hand on the wound to prevent the bleeding. "Come on, we should go" Damon said reassuringly as he rubbed her back and helped her off the ground.

(4) The sky was now pitch black and the only lighting came from the yellow glow of the old, antique street lamp nearby. They got to the car and he helped her inside and got to the drivers side with vamp speed and turned the keys in the ignition. He searched up and down the streets for a motel were they could stay at for the night while glancing every so often at Elena to see if she was okay.

Elena just looked down still in shock and held her hand on wound as tears continued to fall down her face. "What just happened there Damon…"she began to choke up as she talked. " Who was that back there?" Damon gazed at the road not knowing what to say. "Everything's going to be okay Elena" he said as he stroked her hair, even though he didn't know if that was possible. "No its not…" Elena swayed her head back and forth as tears fell and dampened her shirt. They both looked away into the dark open fields wondering where they were going to go from here.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch 3: Crawl (Carry Me Through)

A/N: I'm aware that the yt links don't work so just add youtube to the beginning of them and copy and paste to the address box of your server.

1) .com/watch?v=NwDQ-PyXAqQ

2) .com/watch?v=gmBAq0Kj3_A

(1)Damon walked down the motel sidewalk back towards the car with Elena waiting inside. He opened her car door and helped her out. He guided her to their room. The motel looked like one of those motels in scary movies where the two hitchhikers stayed to hide from the psycho killer but Elena didn't care she was physically and mentally spent after the ordeal she just went through.

He opened the door with the key and they both discovered that it was a small room with one bed in it. Elena sat on the bed and Damon set their bags down on the small coffee table. "I can go see if there's a room with two beds…" After this evenings events he didn't want her to be uncomfortable in any way. "No this is fine." Elena said continuing to eye the rest of the truth was she didn't want to be alone in this creepy motel.

"How are you feeling, do you need blood?" Damon asked not sure if he should of. "No." Elena said in a strict tone and snapped up from the bed then immediately regretted that because she began to feel dizzy. She touched her forehead trying to fight the blurriness but failed and fell to the ground faint.

Damon catched her and laid her back on the bed. She held her arms around him and he held her waist to stabilize her. They both gazed at each other as their faces were inches apart. She then sat up which caused Damon to do the same. She needed to stop it before it got any further. She wasn't in the right frame of mind right now and didn't want to give mixed signals.

The look on Damon's face was so sincere she knew he was just trying to help her. She felt bad for the way she reacted about the blood. "I'm okay." She sat there still. "I'm gonna go take a shower." Elena needed to do something to try and wash away the thoughts she had right now.

She closed the door to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. She almost jumped at the sight of herself. She didn't realize how much blood was all over her and thought how well Damon showed restraint unlike his out of control brother. She turned on the faucet and began to cry uncontrollably. She tried to wipe herself clean and saw the water run red from all the blood.

She dragged herself to the ground and laid there helpless. Even though the faucet was still running Damon could hear here and quickly opened the door not caring about her privacy at the moment. He saw her there and his immediate instinct was to take care of her, he hated seeing her like this.

He sat with her on the floor and held her in his arms. She readjusted herself and laid her head on his shoulder and continued to weep for a little while longer and Damon just let her. He then got up and rang out the wash cloth and began to clean her neck and face. She grabbed his wrists and let the last tear fall "Thank you, I'm okay now" she said with much gratitude.

They both got up and he went to leave the bathroom so she can shower but he stopped and turned towards her and said "Elena that wasn't him. That may have been his body but what was inside is all Klaus' doing. I'm gonna find him and we're going to bring him home and he'll be back to ole' brooding Stefan in no time. Okay? I'll make sure of it." He finished with a sincere smile and closed the door. I looked back to the mirror not knowing if I'll ever know the same Stefan again.

The heat from the hot water relaxed me even though it only lasted five minutes and immediately turned cold because of the crappy water heater that was in this cheap motel but I didn't mind I just wanted to be clean: Clean from the blood and clean from this night.

I got out of the shower feeling better and got dressed in a nicer shirt that I packed and a jean skirt. I open the bathroom door to find Damon sprawled out on the bed surfing through the TV channels. (2) I sat on the edge of the bed and watched the TV along with him. I began to dry my hair with the towel as an idea popped into my head and I turned to look at Damon. "You know what I can go for?"

Damon looked at her puzzled "What?" waiting for her response. "A drink." She said with a smirk. "You read my mind" Damon returned the smirk. They got up and left everything as it was and closed the door.

Tonight, Elena was going let go of all her insecurities and fears and just have fun. She wasn't sure what that would lead to but she didn't care anymore. She was just going to live in the moment and the one person she knew that would allow her to do that and would be right there beside her was Damon.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch. 4: Keep Your Hands off Her

**A/N: I had alot of fun writing in the bar scene that will continue on into the next chapter or so as well as this one. There's also some good music that serves as the backdrop so be sure to listen to it as you read ;)**

1) .com/watch?v=ELvUfQd3knw

2) .com/watch?v=rD3j1iagRJw

3) .com/watch?v=40PBZ5vA-00

4) .com/watch?v=4F726wasM28 –start at 0:30

(1)The loud music and thick, smoky atmosphere of the bar awakened my senses. The place looked like something straight out of Coyote Ugly minus the dancing half naked girls on the tables. It was crowded and Damon was in front guiding me through the heaps of people.

We were about to be separated when he turned and grabbed my hand through the people. The touch was quick but charged and gave me goose bumps. He pulled me closer and continued to walk to the bar." I don't want to lose you in here with all these drunk people moping around." He gave his signature grin. I smiled back and edged close to his ear so he could here me over all the chaos." Soon were going to be those drunk people." I gave a mischievous look.

We finally reached the bar and Damon motioned for the bartender. Elena noticed a guy looking in her direction across the bar. She touched her hair a little uncomfortable and turned her head to see if it was someone behind her that had his attention but there was no one in particular. She ignored him without even thinking twice as the bartender came towards them.

"I'll take a Jack and Coke…and for you my dear?" Damon asked Elena. "I'll have a Mojito." We sat down on the wooden stools and got comfortable. Damon tapped his hand to his knee with the music and looked around at the atmosphere. He was right in his element and Elena found that attractive. There were tons of women there and Damon was well aware that they were eying him but he wouldn't give them the time of day. He was here with the only girl he wanted and she doesn't even compare to them. She was the only one who had his complete attention.

(2)Before I knew it we were doing shots and I was buzzed. We both downed a tequila shot and slammed the glass shot glasses on the counter. "You better watch it I may be dancing on the tables soon" I yelled over the crowd. Damon laughed over the counter and replied. "That's not something I would object to" She smiled and looked beyond him where she saw a couple sitting in a booth. They both had a glow about them and seemed kind of nervous like it was their first date. It reminded her a lot of her and Stefan when they first met and then a flash of his face all vamped out came flooding back to her.

"I gotta pee... I'll be back" Elena walked towards the bathrooms and passed the mysterious man who had been staring at her. She gave him a quick glance then looked down as she entered the bathroom area. He looked back at her from behind when she already passed him and bit his lip then he looked to the area where Damon was sitting. He was finishing up his drink completely oblivious to his surroundings.

Elena walked out of the stall and leaned with both hands on the rim of the faucet and looked at herself in the mirror. "Snap out of it, Elena" she told herself. She splashed some water on her face and was good to go.

3) Elena came out from the bathroom and the strange guy came out of nowhere and purposely bumped into her. Wow she thought this guy really needs to work on his pick up techniques. "Uh jeez I'm real sorry I should probably watch where I'm going." He said. "Hmm don't worry about it "Elena said non-chalantly. "What's a pretty girl like yourself doing alone anyhow… let me buy you a drink" he began to rub her arm. Elena looked at his hand on her arm and said coldly but kindly "I'm actually here with someone but thanks" Damon looked up from his drink and saw what was going down.

He immediately got up from his seat and went to her rescue. As Elena went to walk around him the guy's attitude immediately shifted and he gripped her arm "Why do you got to be rude I want to buy you a drink" Damon cut between them and shoved the guy back and got in the guy's face. "Back off man, she's with me" Elena stayed behind Damon as he protectively blocked the guy from her.

"So this must be your boyfriend" the guy was aggressively pointing a finger on Damon's chest. Elena put her hands on Damon's arms that were resting on his sides "Come on Damon, let's just go" Elena thought in her head this night was suppose to be fun not filled with drama. "No Elena, it's okay." Damon focused in on him and looked in his eyes. "You are going to leave this bar right now and not come back the rest of the night." The guy was in a trance and replied "I'm going to leave here and not come back the rest of the night" he turned around and headed for the door.

(4)Damon sighed and shook it off and turned to Elena. "Sorry about that, that guy was..." Elena stopped him. "You don't need to apologize, I understand. Now let's have fun. You know that thing we said we were going to do." Elena gave a playful grin and walked to the arcade game in the corner. Damon walked towards her with his eyebrows raised." This is your idea of fun?" Elena's big grin on her face turned to an insulted look. "Hey don't judge 'till you play. Winner gets to pick what drink the loser has to chug down."

"Fine." He gave in and they crammed in the corner and played the game. As it was Elena's turn she was very tuned into the game and Damon looked at her amused. He was glad she was getting her mind off of things. He put his hand on the small of her back and looked back at the screen. Elena concentration was broken a she felt his hand on her back she looked up to him and marveled at his blue eyes. They snapped out of their moment as the game made a noise.

"Aww look who's a loser" Damon said in a funny way. "Ughhh noo!" Elena made a pouty face as they headed to the bar. "Now close your eyes as I pick your poison." Elena closed them but Damon covered them with his hand also and pointed to the bottle that he wanted the bartender to pour. He took his hand away from her face and said "Enjoy." Elena took the shot and downed it.

She gave a disgusted look and wiped her mouth. "Eww what was that motor oil?" Damon did the eye thing that he does and replied. "I'll never tell." Elena got the bartender's attention. "We'll have two more of whatever that was." Damon looked at her in awe "That's my girl." Elena was having a really good time with him, even though they were in a crowded bar she felt like they were the only two in the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch. 5: Stay Young, Go dancing

**1) .com/watch?v=SASZf_aRq8g**

**2) .com/watch?v=-mHAuOibP-k**

**3) .com/watch?v=whDxCpxrkTc**

(1)After a couple hours passed and countless shots of the mystery drink were consumed they were both pretty drunk. Damon wasn't half as much as Elena but he still was.

The bar was practically empty now except for a few stragglers. Elena was no longer on the bar stool, her new seat was on top of the counter and had her bare feet dangling. Damon was standing next to her and had his hands on her knees so she wouldn't fall as he watched her sip another shot like it was water because she could no longer down them like a champ like she did earlier.

"We should probably leave before we get mugged by Old Man River over there." Damon said in a whisper talk and slightly pointed in the direction of a man with a long beard and leather vest. Elena turned to look at the man and burst out laughing as she held on to his back for support. He gave a big grin, seeing her laugh like that and knowing he put it on her face.

"No no no not yet" Elena said practically stuttering then she abruptly moved her way off the counter but lost her balance and fell right into Damon's arms. There stood there for a little not letting each other go then he released her from his grip.

As much as he wanted to make a move he didn't because he knew it wasn't the right time. He wanted them both to be fully sober and aware of their actions not just on a drunken whim, their relationship meant too much to him.

Elena then stumbled to the jute box still bare foot and punched in a song number. (2) She turned back to Damon and held out her hand. He gave her a smile and looked down to the ground then walked to her and took her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers.

He wrapped his other hand around her and rested it on the small of her back. She put both her arms around him and rested her head on his chest as they swayed back and forth .

They just danced there in silence, completely content with the sound of the music and each other's embrace. They were completely oblivious to everything around them.

(3)The sound of thunder erupted through the whole town. Damon and Elena grabbed their belongings and headed for the door.

They bombarded through the bar doors to find it pouring outside. They both ran to the car holding on to each other through the rain. Then Damon suddenly fell straight on his butt and Elena burst out in laughter and held out her hand to help him up.

"You think that's funny don't ya?" Hey looked up squinting from the harsh slap of raindrops falling on his face. Elena nodded with a grin from ear to ear. He took her hand and pulled her down with him into the big puddle of water.

Elena let out a scream as she joined him on the parking lot ground. She splashed his face with puddle water and got up and began to run wanting to be chased.

She hadn't had this much fun in a long while not just since being on this trip but with everything that has been going on in her life with her parents death and being consumed into the supernatural aspect of her life that was kept in the dark for so long.

This night she actually felt like she was free and normal. She had longed to feel this way for so long. She had felt like this before her parents died but had forgotten how it felt like. Damon allowed her to relive that part of her life again where she had no worries and just had fun. She felt invincible with him.

"Arghh, you're gonna get it Gilbert!" He chased after her as she picked up pace and gave out a playful yelp.

The rain served as the perfect tool because they were now fully sober and alert. She tried to weave around him but failed and he picked her up and twirled her around as the rain fell all around them. Their laughter filled the gloomy atmsosphere with energy.

As they continued to play around in the parking lot, little did they know two spiteful eyes were hidden in the nearby woods were fixated on them.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch.6: Fade into You

**A/N: 1) .com/watch?v=up74iEWepWw**

**2) .com/watch?v=NZhHcyKg0io**

**3) .com/watch?v=Z8msLiXZgJk**

(1)Damon put the key in the lock and turned the knob and we rushed inside soaking wet from our little game. The rain was still pouring down hard and there was continuous thunder and lightning.

"Home sweet home" He said as he ran to the bathroom where he picked up some towels so they could dry off. Elena was waiting there rubbing her hands on her arms to keep warm. "Hurry" she said practically chattering her teeth. He rushed to her with a towel and said "Here" He unwrapped the towel and draped it around her and began to rub her arms up and down to get her warm.

She looked at his perfectly drenched hair that was all messy but even soaking wet he looked perfect. She felt safe here safer than she had in a while. They gazed into each others eyes but this time it was different. There was no more tension or resistance just attraction.

Damon got closer and closer to her until she closed the remaining space between them and put her lips to his. Her action was swift but the kiss itself was fragile and sweet. Elena released herself from him and looked deep into his eyes, she just wanted to be here with him in this moment and no where else.

Damon couldn't believe what was happening for so long she had been denying what they had together which had come to a head when he was on his death bed but earlier when he confronted her she denied it.

Now she was here with all her walls down and letting him in. He had her now and he wasn't going to let her go easy, now there was no turning back.

He touched her cheek and began kissed her passionately. Elena returned his kiss and began to brush her fingers through his hair as they made their way to the bed. Their clothing began to come off and was thrown to the ground.

Elena was on top of Damon and they continued to kiss when something came to mind and she got up from the bed." I can't do this. We can't do this" Damon looked back at her out of breathe still and got up and walked towards her.

"What's wrong Elena is it something I did or…" Damon searched her face for an explanation. "No, Damon it's not your fault its mine. It's not fair what I'm doing to Stefan or to you. I'm turning… oh my god…I'm turning into" Damon stopped her from continuing. "No Elena don't say it your nothing like Katherine. It takes two… it's my fault too."

Elena looked at him and realized he has really changed. He has become the person she always knew he could be. Someone who feels." Thank you, for being you." Elena gave a sincere smile and touched his face. He touched her hand on his face and returned the smile.

She walked away and sat on the bed. She began to flip through the channels. "There has to be a decent movie on here somewhere."

Damon just stood there in place for a little bit longer. She was there with him and gone in a blink of an eye. He understood where she was coming from though. It wasn't the best time to be doing that when things with Stefan are still up in the air. Stefan. He remembered again why they were there. Stefan needed him now more than ever. He needed both of them. He needed to put his own feelings aside and focus on getting his brother on the right track.

But he was not going to let go of Elena. Tonight, she showed how she truly feels and he would figure things out with her after he found his brother and brought him home.

Elena got more comfortable and lay down on the pillow. She patted the other side of the bed signaling for Damon to lie down too. He jumped on the bed and made the whole bed shake. Elena laughed "Don't break the bed. I'm not sleeping on the stain-filled floor. I would rather sleep outside" They both looked out at the monsoon that consumed outside. They found a scary movie and watched that for a little until they both fell asleep.

(2) Damon woke up to find Elena arms embracing him and her head lying on his chest. He had his arm wrapped around her and looked down at her. She looked so peaceful.

Last night, their feelings for each other finally came to the surface but Damon had something he had to fix before he pursued anything with Elena. His brother was in deep need of help and he had to do something.

He looked back at Elena whose hair was beginning to fall in her face. He sweeped the pieces of hair off her face and put it behind her ear. He couldn't put her in anymore danger. He needed to contain Stefan on his own. He couldn't risk Elena getting hurt again.

He slowly tried to entangle himself from her embrace so he wouldn't wake her. Once he was released he took a piece of paper from the motel notepad and wrote her a note.

_Elena, I went to fix things because I'm the "lone ranger". Stay here and don't worry. When I mean stay I mean don't try and search for me. I'll be back as soon as I can and we can all go home and this will be over. –D._

(3) He looked back at her once more still sleeping serenely and he left the motel room. Once he was in his car and on the road. He called Bonnie of all people. He had no choice he needed her to do another tracking spell to locate Stefan.

Once he got off the phone with her he was off to his destination. Damon got out of his car and began walking through a field. He left his car about a half a mile away from the exact spot where Stefan was located to keep a low profile. He walked through the open and spotted the secluded barn where Bonnie says he was. It was run down and aged with the paint chipping off the siding.

He got to the front barn door where it was slightly cracked as if it was expecting someone to arrive. Damon opened the old barn door with caution but couldn't prevent the creaking that occurred as he did. He looked around and the barn was empty as far as he could tell.

He searched through the barn once again but there was no one in sight. "Damn witch" He mumbled as he headed for the door, when all of a sudden a voice came out of the darkness. "Gone so soon?" Damon stopped in his tracks and turned to see his brother with an evilish grin plastered on his face.


	7. Chapter 7

Ch.7: Scream My Lungs Out and Try to Get to You

A/N: Sorry this took so long.

1) .com/watch?v=OddXCja1N4E

2) .com/watch?v=zEioJPYnUxE

3) .com/watch?v=Sw-ko6aINI4&feature=related

Elena looked out her window at the moon that glowed in the night sky. She felt strong arms come up from behind her and bring her in close. As he kept her close he whispered in her ear.

"I got you back safe just like I said I would" She smiled and held his arms that were wrapped around her. She turned to look at his face; two big, blue eyes stared back at her." My hero" she replied with a smirk.

(1) Damon released her from his arms as she went to her bag to get something which was lying on a chair by her dresser. She began searching through it but then forgot what she was searching for in the first place. She had that feeling that something was off.

A bit confused she looked up to Damon but he was no longer there. The other vampire that Elena wasn't too fond of at the moment was in his place. Stefan. Elena was startled by what was right before her eyes she jumped back and began to examine him suspiciously. He seemed normal but she wasn't convinced.

"Elena, I was so worried… Where have you been?" He sauntered towards her concerned. Elena shifted back away from him and he became aware. "Where's Damon?" she demanded.

A very confused Stefan bore into her eyes even more concerned now. "Elena don't you remember? You see, Damon he flew off the handle and he hurt you. I walked in on the whole thing and stopped him." Elena felt like she was about to have a panic attack. She kept turning her head in disbelief and stepped further and further from Stefan.

"No, no you're wrong! You did those terrible things. It was you!" Stefan had somewhat of a trance in his face ignoring what she said. "Don't worry he's gone now. I did what had to be done. He can't hurt you anymore." He inched towards her.

"No stay back… stay away from me! Damon!" Elena now hysterical rushed out of her room and down the stairs. She was about to go out the front door when she noticed someone occupying the couch, watching TV. She ran to the couch flustered and was astounded by what she found. "Damon?" she said out of breathe.

"What have you been doing up there? Or do I not want to know. Why wasn't I invited?" He gave a devious smirk. His usual Damon talk would have made her want to slap him but she oddly found it comforting at a time like this. "Stefan's upstairs" His playful act quickly turned into protector mode.

He got off the couch and went up the stairs with Elena close behind. They rushed in her room to find it empty and both exchanged glances. "Wait here, I'll check the other rooms." Damon left with vamp speed.

Elena paced back and forth and held her hands on her head. Her head was beginning to pound from all the confusion. What the hell is going on she thought? How could this be happening it didn't make any sense? After waiting for a few more minutes Elena began to wonder what was taking Damon so long. He should have been back by now.

Elena flung her door open and began to slowly walk down the hallway. "Damon… you there?" no answer. Her headache wasn't getting any better and was turning into a full blown migraine.

She went to the bathroom and flipped the switch on. She opened the medicine cabinet which made her have to bend down to the floor and grabbed the Tylenol bottle. She elevated back up and opened the bottle. She glanced in the mirror and gasped to see Stefan standing behind her. The bottle flew and the pills split all over the ground. Elena held her hand on her chest and felt her racing heart. She tried to keep her cool still not completely sure what was going on here.

"Stefan." She said it loud enough for the whole house to hear. "Elena." He had this detached look in his face and Elena remembered this look from not too long ago but she wishes she could forget it. "Why did you run away from me?" He took a step towards her. "You looked at me like I was some kind of monster."

His detached looking face had a mixture of hurt in it too. Elena felt a little bit of remorse for him but still kept her guard up. "No, Stefan listen to me." He cut her off suddenly more angered than before "If you think that's a monster then what's this?" Blood shot eyes, veins, and sharp fangs began to take over his appearance. He continued to cut off the space between them.

Elena began to scream "Damon!" She ran through the bathroom door and into Jeremy's room but stumbled on something and fell to the ground. She swept the hair out of her face to see Damon on the floor unconscious. She started to weep for him. "How could you do this?" She continued to weep but was interrupted when Stefan grabbed her from behind and struck her neck with his blood thirsty fangs. Her scream filled the room.

Elena opened her eyes and gasped for air to discover she was still in the motel room." It was just a dream" She told herself. She turned to the other side of the bed but Damon was no longer there.

(2) She got up and looked around. "Damon?" She called out as she peeked her head in the bathroom. She then saw the piece of paper on the small dresser by the bed. She rushed to it worried to what it might say. Pure terror covered her face. She ran out the door to see Damon's car no longer there. "No! This can't be happening!" She took her cell phone out of her back pocket and speed dialed Bonnie.

"Hello?" Bonnie answered. "Bonnie, tell me where Damon is! How could you do this without telling me?" Elena paced up and down the motel sidewalk. "Elena, settle down." "Settle down, Bonnie? Damon is god knows where trying to save the day and he left me stranded at the motel room. You didn't see Stefan. He is completely detached and capable of anything." Elena sat on the curb as she replied. "Elena, I had no clue Damon was doing a solo mission but maybe that's not such a bad thing. Like you said Stefan is capable of anything. He already hurt you once; let's not chance a second time." Her words sunk in but she shook them off not giving up. "Bonnie, It's Damon were talking about here. I know you're not his biggest fan but he means a lot to me. I've lost so many people, I can't lose him too."

Elena knew that would trigger something inside her but it was true. She still dealt with the loss of her loved ones everyday and adding anymore people to that list is bound to make her break. Bonnie gave her the location and Elena quickly hung up and went to the side of the road waiting for a car to pass by. She thought of loosing another person she cared about especially Damon, over these past few days she had really bonded with him like never before.

She realized she has stronger feelings for him more than just a friend. They have a deep connection that she had long been denying for Stefan's sake. She had been so wrapped up in Stefan she failed to see what had been there all along. She loves Stefan even though he has done this unspeakable thing to her, she would always care about him but she loves Damon too." I love Damon" Saying it aloud made it more of a reality and it felt enlightening.

She smiled at her realization but was reawakened by the sound of a car. She signaled for them to stop and they did. The scary movie came to mind that her and Damon watched last night where the hitchhiker was murdered by a killer driving a pickup. She shaked those thoughts from her mind because she couldn't let fear take over her she needed to get to Damon. She hopped in the pickup truck to see an older man in his fifties with a cowboy hat in the driver's seat. "Where you headed?" relieved to find he wasn't a psycho killer as far as she could tell so she told him the location and to drive as fast as he could. The car sped and he followed her instruction.

(3)Damon looked at his brother with disgust." What the hell happened to you? Are you even aware of what you've done?" Stefan paced back and forth with a smirk on his face. "What you don't like the new me? I thought you'd be delighted. You've been trying to get me to go on the dark side for years. It looks like you got your wish." He folded his arms and waited for his brother's response.

Elena thanked the man and jumped out of the car and began running through the field to the secluded barn.

"I never wanted this. I've changed Stefan. I abandoned this way of living and you can too. Please come with me so I can help you." He held out his hand and motioned for them to leave. Elena walked in to find the two brothers face to face and Damon's back to her. Out of breathe she managed to blurt one thing from her lips "Damon!" Damon turned to look at her caught off guard.

A worried look came to his face "Elena..." before he could say more Stefan saw his chance and took it and charged towards him. Elena saw what was happening right before her eyes and she could no longer feel her legs beneath her. She used the barn door for support "Nooooooo!" She began to cry and her tears almost blinded her. She ran to Damon who was on the ground helpless. He had a piece of rotted wood lodged in his chest. She slightly lifted him and held him in her arms. She put her head to his and cradled him back and forth.

"You're going to be okay. Stay with me." Damon was in massive pain and his brain felt foggy. Elena was so wrapped up in Damon she failed to realize if Stefan was still there. She looked up to unexpectedly find Stefan on the ground and Alaric hovering over him. "Alaric? How did you..?"Elena sat on the ground surprised at his sudden appearance. "Bonnie told me everything and thought you guys would need some back up... She I was right." He held what look liked a syringe filled with vervain. "He'll be out for a little while...I got more in the car for the ride home. "

He walked towards Elena who was still cradling Damon. He ripped open Damon's shirt to see the wood lodged very closely to his heart. Damon was barely conscious fighting to stay awake. Elena comforted him and petted his hair as Alaric gripped the wood and pulled it out. Damon let out a painful yelp. Elena cringed at the sight of his pain. "Did you get it all?" Elena asked strongly concerned. Damon looked around at ceiling of the old barn disoriented and back at Elena's face which was strikingly beautiful even thought she looked scared to death. Suddenly, everything began to be blurred and all he saw was darkness.


End file.
